A remote starter is a device that allows a user to start a vehicle's engine by remote control. It is essentially comprised of a transmitter, usually attached to a key fob, which communicates with a receiver associated with the ignition mechanism of the vehicle. When the transmitter is activated, it sends a signal to the receiver to automatically start the vehicle at a distance without the driver having to be inside the vehicle and insert a key in the ignition to start the engine.
Remote starters are useful because they allow vehicles to be pre-warmed in cold weather and pre-cooled in hot weather. In cold weather, a remote starter allows a driver to start a car remotely to warm up the engine and activate the heater and defroster without having to trudge through snow or wait outside in freezing temperatures. In hot weather, a remote starter allows the driver to start up the air conditioning before getting inside a hot car.
Remote starters, however, are generally designed for cars having automatic transmission, not for cars having manual transmission. This is because for a manual transmission car, one key safety concern is that if the car is left in gear, then it will move when it is started remotely, which could cause personal injury or property damage. Hence, vehicle manufacturers generally produce remote engine starters for automatic transmission vehicles only. For manual transmission vehicles, remote engine starters are available as an aftermarket accessory.
In order to prevent the risk of remotely starting a car while it is in gear, it is necessary to put the transmission in neutral so that the vehicle does not accidentally lurch when the engine is activated. To make sure that the transmission is in neutral, remote starters for manual transmission vehicles require the driver to implement a safety routine before a remote starter can be used to turn on the engine. As described more fully below, this safety routine is known as a “Reservation Mode,” which comprises a set of safety protocols that have to be set at the end of a particular driving operation to enable a remote start of the vehicle the next time the vehicle is to be used.
All aftermarket remote starters generally use the same Reservation Mode procedures for remote starting manual transmission vehicles. For example, to be able to remote start a vehicle, the user has to put the vehicle into the Reservation Mode according to the following steps: 1) Start the vehicle using the key; 2) Set gear to neutral by depressing the clutch pedal and moving the gear shift to the neutral position where it can be moved from side to side; 3) Press the brake pedal; 4) Pull the handbrake; 5) Release the brake pedal; 6) Activate the remote starter system; 7) Remove the key from the ignition while leaving the engine running; 8) Open the door and exit the vehicle; 9) Close all doors; and 10) Stop the engine using the transmitter of the remote starter system, whereupon the engine will shutdown and the vehicle is put into the Reservation Mode.
After the vehicle has been put into the Reservation Mode, the vehicle is considered to be in neutral gear and in a safe condition to be remote started. The vehicle can then be remote started using the transmitter the next time the user wants to use the vehicle.
When the user attempts to use the remote starter system to remote start a vehicle after the user had successfully placed the vehicle in the Reservation Mode, the remote starter system will NOT allow the vehicle to be remote started if any of the following conditions have occurred since the vehicle was placed into Reservation Mode: 1) Door was opened; 2) Hood was opened; 3) Brake pedal was pressed; 4) Handbrake was released; or 5) Ignition has been placed on the “ON” position.
Despite the safety feature described above, the Reservation Mode for existing remote starters is inadequate to ensure that a manual transmission vehicle can be safely turned on by remote because such systems do not take into account situations where the vehicle is inadvertently (or not inadvertently) put into gear after the Reservation Mode is set. For example, a child could gain access into the car and accidentally put the shifter into gear. Even if the car doors were locked, it would still be possible for someone to access the car's interior through a sunroof, through an open window, or a trunk opening to put the shifter into gear. In other words, even when the shift is properly set in neutral during the Reservation Mode, there is no way to tell if the shift is subsequently changed after the Reservation Mode is set. In any of these scenarios, if the vehicle is remote started, it will move since it is in gear. As a consequence, the vehicle can be damaged, or the vehicle can damage property, and most importantly, the vehicle can cause injury to people.
Some aftermarket remote starters have an optional or mandatory accelerometer to detect vehicle movement during remote start. Once movement is detected, the remote starter will shutdown the engine. However, this does not prevent the vehicle from moving, which leaves the risk that remotely starting the vehicle may still cause personal injury or property damage.
Therefore, there exists a need for a remote starter system and method for vehicles with manual transmission with improved safeguards for preventing the vehicles from being remotely started while in gear.